Method of and means for the production of cigarette rods in the manufacture of machinemade cigarettes



Oct 7, P. M. E. HOHN METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CIGARETTERODS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MACHINE MADE CIGARETTES Filed April 22, 1924QS- K k? Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL MAX ERNST norm, 0F nanszonn, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T0 UNIVERSELLECIGARETTENMASGHINEN-FABRIK J. c. MULLER & 00., or DRESDEN, GERMANY.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FACTURE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CIGARETTE RODS IN THEMANU- OF liLACI-IINEMADE CIGARETTES.

Application filed April 22, 1924. Serial No. 708,155.

HoHN, a subject of the Republic of Germany, residing at Zwickauer Str.48, Dresden-A, Germany,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of andMeans for the arette Rods in the Manufacture lroduction of CigofMachinemade Ci arettes. of which the following is a specification.

As is well known, in

handmade cigarettes the tobacco is mould lined with cigarette duced intoa paper and rolled with the in cross section,

shaie 01 a half-ring halt-ring ben'ig closed ring in the next operationso circular rolled cigarette of In other words. in such arettes by handlabour brought to ring-shape rolling, there being the manufacture ofnitrolingers to the the to form a complete as to form a cross section.iminufactnre of cigthe tobacco strip is in cross-section by in thecentre of the ring a small opening in which the tobacco is quite looseand is not closely packed together by the pressure applied in rolling,

so that a handmade cigarette,

lv packed, will always the flue extending along its axis.

In the production of the manufacture of rettes tobacco is delivered toing apron and with the treatment is quite different.

even if tightdraw, because of longitudinal the cigarette rod inmachine-made ciga- The an endless circulatthis apron is led through ashaping channel in which it is shaped by pressure rolls to form thecigarette rod. The tobac ously been to high pressure co which hasprevigathered together is subjected which is transmitted through thetobacco mass so that the centre of the rod is the most tion. Inconsequence,

arettes produced ti'oni a rod tightly packed pormachine-n'iade cigwlnchhas been subjected to ever so slightly excessive pressure do not draw.that the proportion of is quite high so that must be taken and tightnessof the rod regulated.

Indeed, it is notorious defective cigarettes special precautions toensure that the thickness shall be exactly The invention aims atreproducing in the machine-production of cigarette rods the methodemployed in the production of handmade cigarettes, so as to obtain asatisfactory product without resort to any delicate adjustment of theshaping devices and to obtain, notwithstanding irregularities in thecigarette rod, a cigarette which is loose in the centre and which willtherefore draw satisfactorily. Vith this object in view, the sectionalcontour of the endless apron employed in the shaping operation is variedprogressively as is also the shaping and pressing rolls, so that thetobacco fed from the distributor to the apron is first spread in a Hat,layer of uniform thickness, whereupon this layer is brought tosemicircular form in cross section, and then the tree limbs are broughttogether to form a closed ring.

In the accompanying drawings Figs. 1, to 4 show the apron associatedwith the relative shaping and pressing rolls in the principal phases ofthe formation of the rod. Figs. 5, (i and 7 show in vertical crosssection a layer of tobacco in the three principal stages which come intoconsideration.

Referring to the drawings, the apron which runs beneath the usualdistributor is in the shape of an opentopped channel of rectangularcross section comprising a part a which forms the base of the channeland two parts I) which form the flanges or side walls of the channel.

The tobacco 0 coming from the distributor enters the channel. Dippinginto the channel is a cylindrical roll d which spreads out the tobacco oto form a plane flat layer of uniform thickness as indicated in Fig. Theroll (l may be formed in known manner as a feeler or detector, beingmounted at the end of a rock lever so that foreign bodies which may bepresent with the tobacco, such as nails, stones and the like, will liftthe roll (Z and thereby rock the lever to effect in known manner arrestof the movement of the apron.

In its further travel the apron is so curved that the base portion aassumes the form of a sei'nicircle a. At this point there dips into thechannel a roll 6 which as shown at f has a convex periphery of halfround section and which roll in conjunction with the apron shapes thetobacco layer 0 to the form of a half ring in section as shown in Fig.6. The next step is to bring the free ends 9 of this half ring togetherso as to form a complete ring. This operation is effected by contractingthe channel, diminishing the diameter and providing at this point a rollit which is formed with a semi-circular groove 2'. This roll it engagesthe ends of the limbs of the half ring shown in Fig. 6 and presses themcentrally together so that the rod is formed into the shape of a closedring as indicated in Fig. 7. In the rod of annular shape thus producedthere is at the center a small tree opening, or rather the tobaccoparticles are loose at the centre, so that ample provision is made fordraught.

Even if at a later stage the apron be further contracted as shown inFig. i, and the tobacco pressed by a pressing roll 7.: having aperipheral groove of still smaller diameter to complete the closed ring,the pressure applied will not constrict too much the passage through thering. Even with application of increased pressure the tobar-co rod willhave a loose structure at the centre. It follows, therefore, that thereis not the same necessity for care in press ing the tobacco rod, as thefinished cigarettes will not be rendered defective if there should beirregularities in the mass of tobacco, there being always sufficientdraught even when the cigarettes are closely packed.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. A method of making the tobacco rod for themanufacture of machine made cigarettes, consisting in shaping tobacco toform a flat layer and forming the same into a closed ring.

2. A method of making the tobacco rod for the manufacture of machinemade cigarettes, consisting in shaping the tobacco to form a flat layer,and forming the same into a closed ring and compressing the same,leaving the center less compact than the remainder of the roll.

3. A method of shaping the tobacco rod in the manufacture of machinemade ciga rettes, consisting in shaping the tobacco to form a flatlayer, then shaping the flat layer in the form of a half ring and thenbringing the free ends together to form a closed ring with a freepassage therethrough.

4. A method of shaping tobacco rod in the manufacture of machine madecigarettes, consisting in shaping the tobacco to form a flat layer thenbringing the ends around to form a half circle, bringing the free endstogether to form a closed ring with a passage in the center, andcompressing the roll to leave the recess less compact than the remainderof the roll.

5. The method which consists in subjecting an elongated mass ofcigarette tobacco to a succession of longitudinal rolling pressures tocompress said mass into the form of a rod having a relatively looselycompacted central portion.

(5. The method which consists in subjecting an elongated mass ofcigarette tobacco to a succession of longitudinal rolling pressures eachapplied in a direction normal to the central longitudinal line of themass, to thereby compress said mass into the form of a rod having arelatively loosely compacted central portion.

7. Means for shaping a mass of cigarette tobacco into rod-like formcomprising a flexible apron upon which the tobacco is distributed, and aseries of rollers arranged above the apron having varyingcross-sectional contours to successively exert a compacting pressureupon the tobacco mass and mold the same into rod-like form with thecentral portion of said mass relatively loosely compacted.

8. Means for shaping cigarette tobacco into rodlike form comprising aseries of rollers of different peripheral cross-sectional form and aflexible apron to convey the tobacco mass beneath said rollers forengagement thereby, said apron adapted to be progressively varied incross-sectional contour as the tobacco is engaged by the respectiverollers whereby the tobacco is shaped under pressure into rod-like formwith the central portion thereof relatively loosely compacted.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

PAUL MAX ERNST HOHN.

